Handles for raising and lowering sewing machines



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v w v 28 INVENTOR. Anthony J Mafuzas WITNESS ATTORNEY United States Patent.

HANDLES FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SEWING MACHINES.

Anthony J. Matuzas, Union, N. J assignor to .The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J.,.a corpora- I This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to a raising and lowering handle therefor and to means for maintaining said handle in any of several selected positions.

7 It is common practice, as exemplified by the disclosure of U. S. Patent No. 1,820,527, to mount a sewing machine in a so called drop-head table or cabinet in order that the sewing machine may be lowered to a concealed position or raised to an operative position. While many of the prior art structures for raising and lowering sewing machines have been found to be quite satisfactory, some difiiculty has been experienced and, therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved means for raising and lowering a sewing machine 111 a drop-head table or cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine with an improved easily accessible handle that may advantageously be used to raise and lower the sewing machine in a drop-head cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved sewing machine lifting and lowering handle that may be maintained in any of several selected positions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine with a handle especially adapted to be used. when raising and lowering a sewing machine in a drop-head cabinet.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description is read in connection wtih the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view showing a sewing machine embodying the present invention lowered into a drop-head type table;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the sewing machine as seen along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2 and showing the handle in an extended position; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the handle in the retracted position.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a sewing machine cabinet or table 11 having front and back walls 12 and 13, and a horizontally disposed top wall 14 formed with a suitable sewing machine receiving opening 16. A flap 17, by means of a hinge 18, is adapted to be swung upwardly, as indicated by solid lines, or downwardly, as indicated by dotted lines. The free edge of the flap 17 carries an abutment 19, the purpose of which will hereinafter be described. A sewing machine 21 which maybe of the same general type as that more fully disclosed in U. S. patent application Serial N0. 386,684, filed Oct. 19, 1953, now Patent No. 2,756,703, granted July 31, 1956, and U. S. design patent application, Serial No. D.27,463, filed Nov. 6, 1953, now Design Patent No. 173,369, November 2, 1954, is supported from a rear portion of the top wall 14 by means of a pair of hinges, only one of which is shown. Each hinge has a leaf 22 secured to the top wall 14 by means of a screw 23 and 2 amovable element24 pivoted to. the leaf 22 and detachably connected to. .the sewing, machine 21. The sewing machine.comprises,.among other elements, a bed.26 whichis substantially. horizontal when the sewing machine is in the raised operative positi'on (dotted line position in Fig. 1), a bracket-arm standard 27 upstanding from said bed 26, and anarm 28 supported on the upper end of said standard 27and terminating in a head 29 having a face-plate 31: Thearm 28 is open at its upper portion so as to form a..substantially trough-shaped unit and this opening is closedby a .cover-plate-32-which joins the open top of the sewing machinearmalong a plane that is substantiallyparallel; to the'bed 26 and is removably secured in position. by screws only one of which is shown at 33. One .end of the cover-plate 32 joins the top closed portion of the head 29 along .ameeting line indicated by the numeral34 .(Fig- 2). The cover-plate 32, at a location adjacenttothe meeting line 34 and to the rear edge 35, is providedwith, a portion 36 adapted to accommodate at raising and lowering. Teshaped handle, indicated generally by the numeral 37. The handle 37 comprises a cylindrical support-shank 38, to the upper end of whichis secureda horizontally extending handgrip 39. In other words, theaxis of the hand-grip 39 is parallel to the plane of the bed 26. The shank 38 has a longitudinally extending narrow slot 41,; the end of the slot 41 adjacent to the hand-grip 39 terminating as at 42. The other end ofthe slot 41..is closed by a diametrically extending pin 43, which may bev force fitted into a diametrically extending hole formed-adjacentto the end ofthe shank 38which is :remotefrom the hand-grip 39.

The portion 36 of the cover-plate32, for accommodating the handle 37, includes a downwardly extending or depending lug 44which is provided with a bore 46 extending from outside-the cover 32 to below the lower surface thereof, and .depending at an angle of forty-five degrees (45) with respect to-the plane on which the'cover 32 joins theopen top of thearm 28. In other words, the shank 38 is supported so to remain fixed in a plane that intersects the bed 26 at an angle that is substantially forty-five degrees (45). The bore 46 slidably accommodates the previously mentioned shank38. The lug 44 is also provided with a second bore 47, the central axis of which passes at right angles through the central axis of the first bore 46. Theend of the bore 47, which is located beyond the intersection between thetwo bores, houses a helical spring 48 and a slug 49. w The spring 48 presses the slug 49 against the upper surface of the shank 38 and thereby provides a friction means which prevents the shank 38 from rattling in the bore '46 .and at the same time assures that the shank 38 will remain in either an extended or a retracted position depending-on the position to which it is moved. The end of. the -second bore 47 which is located below the intersection between the two bores is closed with a press fitted stop-pin 51, one end of which enters the narrow slot 41 inthe shank 38, thereby insuring that the shank 38- cannot be twisted and also, because of pin 43, limiting the extent to which the shank 38 can be withdrawn from the bore 46. The portion 36 of the cover 32 also has a recess 52--52 for receiving the hand-grip 39 when the said hand-grip is in the retracted position shown in Fig. 4. As .best seen in Fig. 2, the recess 52--52 has two-portions, one on each side of the shank 38 and thus the two ends of the hand-grip 39 are received in the recess. In order that the operator may easily move the hand-grip 39 from the retracted position shown in Fig. 4 to the extended position shown in Fig. 3, the portion 36 of the cover 32 has been provided with a thumb receiving recess 53 which extends horizontally beyond the hand-grip receiving recess 52. The portion 36 has also been provided with two finger-receiving re- .tion shown in Fig. 3.

shown in Fig. l.

handle by removing the pin 51, by eliminating the slot I 41 and by replacing the pin 43 with a longer'pin, i. e.

with a pin that has a longitudinal dimension that is greater than the diameter of the shank 38. Removal of the pin 51 and the slot 41 allows the shank 38 andthe handgrip 39 to rotate freely, and substitution of a long pin for the short pin 43 provides a means for preventing the shank 38 from being removed from the bore 46 during normal operation of the device.

Operation Under ordinary circumstances, if it is assumed that the sewing machine 21 is lowered into the drop-head cabinet 11, the hinged flap 17 will be in the .lowered position shown in Fig. 1 by dotted lines, and the top-wall, including the sewing machine receiving opening 16 will be covered by a hinged cover member (not shown). To use the sewing machine 21 the operator first will raise the unshown hinged cover member and will move thehinged flap 17 to the position shown in solidlines in Fig. 1. Then, preferably using the right hand, the operator will reach into the cabinet 11 and if the handle '37 is in the retracted position shown in Fig. 4, the operator will place his right thumb in the recess 53, his index "finger in the recess 54 and either his middle or ring finger in the recess 56. This will permit the operator to exert a pull retracted position shown in Fig. 4 to the extended posi- Next, the operator will grasp the hand-grip 39 in the manner shown in Fig; 1 and raise the sewing machine 21 from the lowered position to a super elevated position, not shown, but slightlyabove the operative position shown by dotted lines in Fig.1. This super elevated position of the sewing machine allows the operator to lower the flap 17 to the dotted line position When the flap 17 has been lowered; the sewing machine 21 is lowered until the free end of the bed 26 rests on the abutment 19 in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Then the operator moves the handle 37 from the extended position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to the retracted position shown in Fig. 4. (When the operator has completed the sewing and desires to move the sewing machine to the stored position, 'the handle 37 is extended and grasped by the operator who then by means of the handle 37 raises the sewing machine 21 to the super elevated posin'on (previously mentionedbut not shown) and then raises the flap 17 to theposition shown by solid lines in Fig. 1. Thereaftegthe sewing machine 21 is lowered into the cabinet and the flap 17 is lowered.

of the cabinet or table 11. Also, .whenthe; sewing ma chine is in the normal sewing position, the handle 37 is disposed at the back of thebracket-arm 28 and thus is out of the way of a person operating the sewing machine. Having thus described the nature. of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A sewingmachine comprising in combination an upwardly open bracket-arm; a cover-plate for closing the opening in said bracket-arm, said cover-plate being provided with a first bore which extends at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees (45) with respect to the plane of said cover-platefand said cover-plate being provided with a second bore, said second bore intersecting said first bore; a handle having a shank and a hand-grip, said shank being slidably disposed in said first bore; means in said second bore preventing said shank from turning; and means retaining said shank in said first bore.

2. A sewing machine comprising in combination an upwardly open bracket-arm; a cover-plate for closing the opening in said bracket-arm, the upper surface of said cover-plate having a plurality of recesses; 2. depending lug formed as part of said cover-plate, said lug being provided with a first bore which extends at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees (45) with respect to the plane of said cover-plate, and said lug being provided with a second bore which intersects said first bore at right angles thereto;'a handle having a shank and a hand-grip formed atiright angles to said shank, said shank being slidably disposed in'said first bore and being provided with a longitudinally extending narrow slot, closed at both ends; a slidablev slug and a biasing spring therefor located in one portion of saidsecond bore; a press fitted stop pin disposed in another portion of said second bore and having one end entering the narrow slot in said shank;

' and a pin press-fitted into said shank and adapted to be engaged by said stop pin when said handle is in an extended pbsition; .said recesses in the upper surface of said cover-plate being adapted to receive said hand-grip and providinglmeans for gripping 'said hand-grip.

3. A sewing machine comprisingin-combination a bracket having an upright standard and an overhanging hollow arm supported from said standard, a head carried by .the fr ee end of said arm; sewing'instrumentalities carried by said head; a driving shaft for driving said sewing instrumentalitie's,.said shaft extending from said standard through the hollow of said arm to said head, and thereby occupying a portion of the hollow of said arm, the outer surface of said arm being provided with a recess; a lug carried by said hollow arm and extending from an inner surface thereof, said lug-being provided with a bore extending'upwardly and at an angle and completely through said arm; a handle having a shank and a hand-grip, the hand'grip being formed at an angle with respect to said shank, and said shank being slidable in said bore, from a raised position in which the hand-grip and a portion of said shank are above the outer surface of said arm, to alowered position in which a portion of said hand-grip is located in the recess in said arm and the lower portion of said shank extends below the upper portion of the inner surface of said arm and enters that portion of the .hollow of the arm not occupied by said shaft; and means engaging said shank to limit the outward movement thereof, the recess in said arm providing means to limit the inner movement of said shank. j

References Cited in the file of this patent -UNITED STATES PATENTS 724,635 weuer gn; Apr. 7, 1903 869,423 Cowan Oct. 27, 1907 v 1,016,392 Boudrot Feb. 6, 1912 1,754,161 Colegrove Apr. 8, 1930 2,047,485 McBrady July 14, 1936 2,678,011

Pests et al, May 11, 1954 

